Work-support



A. E. JERRAM AND J. GOULDBOURN.

WORK SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1911.

0 2. 9 1T 0E 3w 3 Wm Nu d2 m H w a P A. E. JERRAM AND J. GOULDBOURN.

WORK SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY22,19I7.

Patented Nov 23 1920.

1 l v i I EU a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR ERNEST JEBRAM AND JOSEPH GOULDEOURNQOF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 33% UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COR PORATION, OE PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WORK-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application filed'lvlay 22, 1917. Serial No. 170,322.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR ERNEST J ERRAM and Josnrrr GoULDBoURN, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residin at Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Work-Supports; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines for operating upon boots and shoes and more particularly to the work supports employed in connection with such machines.

It is the object of the present invention to provide means for securely looking a work support or like member against the thrust of a cooperating member which may be conveniently actuated to release the work support when desired.

lVith this object in view the various features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a sole leveling machine with the improved work support embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section in elevation of the mechanism for locking the work support in operative position; and Fig. 3 is a section at right angles to Fig. 2 showing another view of the locking mechanism.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with the leveling machine disclosed in our Patent No. 1,275,562, dated Aug. 13, 1918. This machine comprises a pair of shoe supporting jacks or work supports cooperating with pressing forms mounted upon a carrier 5 fulcrumed upon. the machine frame at 6. Each jack is adapted to be independently connected with the actuating mechanism when rocked from a vertical work receiving position into an inclined leveling position about the pivotal connection 7 of the link 8. \Vhen in leveling position the jack is supported upon the two links 8 and 9 and is oscillated about an axis lying substantially in the tread surface of the soleto cause the leveling of the sole by a progressive action. During the movement of the jack into leveling position the corresponding form is moved toward the shoe through the straightening of the toggle lever indicated at ll, which is operated from a suitable crank mechanism. When the toggle is completely straightened the crank mechanism is automatically stopped and the pressing form remains in leveling position and the jack continues to oscillate until the treadle is again depressed and the second jack brought into leveling position.

In order to insure a uniform leveling action upon shoe bottoms of varying thickness it is desirable that the tread surface of the shoe sole shall be automatically brought to a fixed and determinate leveling position controlled by the pressing form. To this end the shoe supporting member or jack consists of two relatively movable parts adapted to be connected by a locking mechanism which permits relative movement of the parts in one direction but normally prevents relative movement of the parts in the opposite direction. Means are provided for rendering the locking mechanism inoperative at predetermined intervals to permit the shoe supporting member to be moved to leveling position by engagement of the pressing form with the tread surface of the sole. Thereafter the locking mechanism secures the two parts of the work support against relative movement and supports the jack rigidly against the thrust of the pressing form. According to the present inven tion a last support is provided with a cylindrical shank slidingly received within a carrier to permit a variation in height of the work support. The lower end of the shank is provided with an inclined face engaged by a laterally movable locking memher having a similarly inclined face and supported by an abutment formed upon the carrier. The locking member is actuated to clamp the last support against downward movement in the carrier by an actuating wedge movable in the direction of movement of the last support with relation to the carrier and having a face engaging with the opposite face of the locking member and inclined at an angle less than the angle of inclination of the lower end of the shank. According to this construction the last support is rigidly secured against downward movement inthe carrier andonly a slight portion of any thrust exerted upon the last support is transmitted to the actuating wedge in the direction of its movement. Thus the force necessary to maintain the actuating wede'e in operative or locking position is slight and the wedge may be easily withdrawn to unlock the last support when desired.

The jack comprises support 29 for an iron last or foot provided with a cylindrical shank 31 and carrier 3-32 hollowed to receive this shank and permit of the longitudinal movement oil the latter in the carrier. The cylindrical shank 3]. of the last support is slotted ansversely at toward its lower end for a considerable portion or": its length and at the lower end of the slot the walls 57, 58 thereof are inclined outwardly at equal angles to the axis of the shank to form similar wedgeportions on the end of the shank. The support is provided at its upper end with. a wide flange 57 into which a bolt 58 disposed parallel. to the lengthwise axis of the shank, is adjustably threaded. This bolt passes loosely through a hole in a similar flange 59 on the carrier, its head situated on the side of the carrier flange 59 remote from the flange 57 on the shank acting as a stop to limit in one direction the movement oi the support under the influence of two compression coil springsGO, 61 by which it is sup ported and which are, in the slotted portion of the shank confined between the shank and the lower 1nternal port1on oil the hollowed carrier 32. In the lower portion of the carrier are mounted two similar wedges 62, 63 having each two facesfiee, inclined at dil ferent angles to the longitu .nal axis of: the carrier and free to slide toward and from one another transversely of the height of the carrier upon lined supports 66 on the carrier which prevent them from inovinglongitudinally of the carrier. One face 64; of each wedge is adapted to coact with one of the inclined walls 57, 58 of the slotted portion of the shank and the other inclined faces of the wedges are adapted to engage opposite u er end otthe en 3 volt. it sorin )ressed plunger 71 mounted on an arm 34 which proects from the carrier toward its lower end bears on the other end of the lever and normally acts to swing the lever in a direction what less than twice the angle whose tangent is equal to the coeflicient of friction between the surface of the wedge 67 and the corresponding surface of one or other of the wedges 62, 63 with which it contacts (6. 9., the angle of the central wedge (37 may be 15 where all the coacting surfaces are of polished steel) while the angle contained bet veen the other faces er of the wedges (2'. e. the angle between the inclined walls 57, 58 on the bottom of the shank) is considerably greater. As a consequence a slight n'iovenient of the shank 51 longitudinally in the carrier produces such a moiion'ot the wedges 62, 63 transversely thereof that a proportionately greater movement of the central wedge is required to keep the latter from being gripped between the wedges and with this in view and for the puroose hereinafter referred tothe fulcrum olthe lever 69carrying the central wedge 67 is appropriately disposed on that side of the middle of the lever nearest the spring'pressed plunger 71.

I ion the machine removal of leveling pressure from the work on the jack will allow the support- 29, ill to rise in the carrier 32 {under the influence of the springs 6O, 61 confined between its shank 31 and the lower end of the carrier to the limit permitted by the stop 58 above described, while the spring-pressed plunger'Fl 100 mounted in the projecting arm of the carrier will swing the lever 69 on which it hears about its fulcrum to cause the central wedge 67 in the carrier to follow the upward movement of the support and spread apart the 105 wedges 6Q, 63 upon. which it bears so as to maintain them in contact with the inclined side walls 5'4, of: the shankand by this contact of these parts will lockthe support, in the manner more fully described below 110 rigidly against any down thrust or blows to which the work or the foot or last may he subjected in the ensuing removal of the treated work or the replacement thereof by work to be leveled.

The central wedge 6'7 is guided and re tained in proper operative relationto the two locking wedges by an elongated stem 72 having an end 7 7 which is received and slides within a longitudinal slot '79 formed in the last support, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the jack is moved into an inclined position at the commencement of the leveling operation an arm 73 is swung into an operative position beneath the pivot of the lever '69 to "furnish a solid abutment for this endof the lever which is normally acted upon by the spring plunger 71. At this time the engagement of the shoe sole by the pressing form when moving into leveling position causes a like movement of the last support which is free to yield downwardly, the rod 70 swinging the lever 69 about the solid abutment presented by the arm 73. The arm 73 is formed as one arm of a bellcrank lever pivoted upon the machine frame at 74 and having a second arm 75 adapted to be engaged and oscillated by a projection 76 secured to the periphery of a cam disk 7 8. This construction causes the arm 73 to be swung into an operative position at a predetermined point in the cycle of operations as previously described and thereafter removes the arm to permit the last support to be rigidly locked to the carrier.

In its broader aspect, certain features of the present invention are well adapted for use wherever it may be desired to lock one member against the thrust of a second member and it is to be understood in consequence that these features are not limited in their application to the particular type of construction shown and described.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

l. A work support, comprising a carrier, a support slidingly mounted therein and having an inclined face, and means for locking the support to the carrier against movement in one direction comprising an actuating member having an inclined face and movable lengthwise of the carrier and a locking member restrained from longitudinal movement relative to the carrier and having opposite faces inclined at different angles and interposed between the acutating member and support to be moved laterally by a longitudinal movement of the actuating member.

2. A locking device for a work support comprising an actuating wedge movable lengthwise of the support and a pair of locking wedges adapted to be moved laterally by the actuating wedge and each hav ing inner inclined faces cooperating with the actuating wedge and outer faces inclined at a greater angle than the inner faces and adapted to engage with similar inclined faces upon the support, and means for restraining the locking wedges against longitudinal movement.

3. A work support, comprising a carrier, a support having a shank slidingly supported in the carrier and provided upon the lower end with oppositely inclined lower faces, a pair of locking wedges each having opposite faces inclined at different angles,

means for maintaining the wedges against longitudinal movement relative to the carrier, and an actuating wedge movable longitudinally of the carrier and adapted to engage with and spread the locking wedges in a lateral direction against the inclined faces on the lower end of the support.

a. A work support comprising a carrier, a support constrained to move in a rectilinear path relative thereto and having an inclined face, a locking member having a correspondingly inclined face and adapted to engage with the support to lock the latter against movement in one direction relative to the carrier, an abutment supporting the locking member and permitting the latter to slide transversely of the path of movement of the support, and an actuating member movable longitudinally of the carrier to clamp the inclined face of the locking member against the' correspondingly inclined face of the support.

5. A work support, comprising a support a carrier, a wedge movable lengthwise of the carrier for locking the support against movement in one direction relative to the carrier, a lever connected at one end to the wedge, a rod connected at its opposite ends to the support and lever intermediate the ends of the latter, and yielding means connected to the opposite end of the lever for normally moving the wedge in a direction to lock the support to the carrier.

6. A machine for operating upon shoes comprising a carrier, a work support slidingly mounted in the carrier, a lever connected between its ends to the support, a locking wedge supported upon one end of the lever, means yieldingly connected to the opposite end of the lever for normally maintaining the wedge in locking position, and means acting upon the lever for temporarily maintaining the wedge out of locking position.

7. A machine for operating upon shoes comprising a carrier, a support slidingly mounted in the carrier, means for moving the support outwardly with respect to the carrier, means for limiting the outward movement of the support, a locking wedge adapted to lock the support in any position to which it may be moved, and means for causing the locking wedge to move with the support.

ARTHUR ERNEST J ERRAM. I JOSEPH GOULDBOURN. 

